AUTO RACING

AUTO RACING; Drivers on the Move To Find a '91 Team

By JOSEPH SIANO

Published: September 23, 1990

By the end of this week, there should be a solution to the puzzle of which Indy-car driver will be driving for what team in 1991.

The key figures are Danny Sullivan, who left the Penske team last week, and Teo Fabi, who along with teammate John Andretti was put out of work when Porsche dropped its Indy-car program last week.

These moves were rumored for several weeks, so the drivers have had time to work on finding teams for 1991.

Going into today's race at Elkhart Lake, Wis., one scenario was that Sullivan would sign with Patrick Racing, which runs the Alfa-Romeo engine, and Fabi would sign with Jim Hall's new team. But Sullivan could wind up with Hall, and Fabi might return to formula one.

Search Sendoff

Sullivan's job search was set off by Pennzoil's decision to return to sponsoring Hall after eight years as Rick Mears's sponsor at Penske.

''We felt like we could get better exposure for Pennzoil with Jim Hall,'' said James L. Pate, president and chief executive officer of Pennzoil.

''There's no question about the fact that Penske has been very successful,'' Pate said last week. ''In fact, so successful that he and his organization, I think, get a lot of visibility, and, frankly, distract a little bit from the sponsors.''

Hall, who has been out of Indy-car racing eight years, won the Indianapolis 500 as a car owner in 1978 and 1980.

''We have identified two or three prospects who we're talking to right now, and they would be drivers who are up in the top 10 in Indy-car drivers,'' Pate said. That would certainly include Sullivan and Fabi.

''He's told you more than I would, but that's correct,'' Hall said when told of Pate's statements.

Father and Son

Hall, who will use a Lola-Chevrolet, will be joined by his son, Jim Hall 2d, who runs a karting school in Oxnard, Calif. Larry Curry will be team manager and Franz Weis, who rebuilds Chevy engines for other Championship Auto Racing Teams entrants, also will be part of the team.

Sullivan was the odd man out at Penske because Mears was more established with the team and Emerson Fittipaldi, who joined the team last year, is still under contract.

Another driver who could be walking next year is Roberto Guerrero, who has driven for Alfa the last two seasons.

''We're shopping right now,'' said Paul Brian, an Alfa spokesman. ''Roberto has not been told at this point that he will not be hired for next year.''

If Guerrero were dumped, it would be unfortunate particulary because it would come just as the team was moving into the top 10 after switching to a Lola chassis. Guerrero did most of the development work for the team in the days when its March chassis tended to lose important pieces at high speed.

''We're still talking with Sullivan,'' Brian said late last week. ''We're very close with him, as a matter of fact.'' Although Alfa was said to prefer an Italian driver, it doesn't look to be Fabi. ''Fabi talked with us last week and said he had to know by Friday, or it was no,'' Brian said, referring to Sept. 14. ''So the answer was no.'' Brian said the team was also talking to the Englishman Martin Brundle, a sports-car and formula one driver.

But Tom Blattler, a spokesman for Miller, the team's sponsor, made the future sound encouraging for Guerrero. ''Miller wants Roberto Guerrero,'' Blattler said. ''And we haven't been notified that they're changing.''

Sullivan's Penske car used to be sponsored by Miller, so he has worked with the company.

Other Job Hunters

Drivers aren't the only people seeking work. Derrick Walker, the general manager of Porsche's team, said he was trying to keep his employees working next year after the West German automaker's announcement last week that it was dropping Indy cars to concentrate on its new formula one engine.

''I'm desperately trying to put together some sponsorship to keep the team going,'' Walker said last week.

Given the weakening economy and the fact that most corporate sponsorship budgets for 1991 were sealed long ago, the prospects look dim. Engines would also be a problem for Walker. Chevrolet has added three CART teams for 1991, and wouldn't seem likely to now add Walker's team. That would leave either the uncompetitive Cosworth or Judd engines.